Beetles of British Guiana. 67 
has been the specific name of this inse£t since the 
time of LiNN/EUS. 
The Phanzeus is another genus of this family, and all 
its species are remarkable for the variety of their size 
and colour. Phanseus means conspicuous, and appears 
to have been applied to this genus of beetles on account 
of their fine colours and strange forms. 
The Phanaeus lancifer is a very fine beetle, being 
often about an inch and a half long, rather more than an 
inch broad, and having a thick massive body. Its head 
is black and has on it a long angular horn bent back- 
ward, hence it is called lancifer or lance-bearer. All 
the upper side of this inse6t except the head is violet, 
having a green reflection in certain lights. This beetle 
is said to be rare, the British Museum possessing only 
one specimen which was brought from Para by Mr. 
BATES. I have had one or two specimens in collections 
which I made here, but they were comparatively small. 
There are several other species of Phanaeus in British 
Guiana, and the Coprides or Dung-eating beetles (from 
kopros, dung), which closely resemble the Phanaeus in 
their habits, and of which there are several species here, 
are sometimes included in this genus. 
Some of the beetles of the Scarabaean family are called 
Geotrupes, i.e., earth-borers (from ge, the earth, and 
trupaein, to bore). The Geotrupes stercorarius is well 
known here. It is a fair-sized beetle, black above, 
tinged with violet on the margin and steel-blue below. 
Its wings are deeply striated. 
The Hardbacks which sometimes invade our 
houses at night also belong to the Lamellicorn 
tribe, but I suppose they are so familiar to every 
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